Blatter resists call to go now

team.” But Okon became particularly animated when pressed about what worried him most about the Australian team.

“It’s the same question like the one I have just answered,’’ he said.

“It’s not about Sweden, Australia, the US — they are the other teams, they’re all good teams.

“If we are worried about them so much, we wouldn’t be able to beat anyone.” FIFA president Sepp Blatter has rejected a European Parliament demand to quit immediately, but one of his top lieutenants did resign from the embattled organisation.

Blatter, who resigned last week despite being re-elected as head of football’s world governing body, intends to continue in office until a successor is designated, probably by the end of the year.

“FIFA is perplexed by the European Parliament’s resolution,” a FIFA spokesman said.

“As is well known, following his re-election, the FIFA President already decided, owing to the special circumstances in which FIFA finds itself, to lay down his mandate at an extraordinary elective congress.”

The European Parliament called on Blatter to step down immediately and allow an interim leader to launch reforms in football’s governing body.

Meanwhile, FIFA director of communications and public affairs Walter De Gregorio resigned from his position with immediate effect.

Football’s governing body has been in crisis since 14 current or former FIFA officials were charged as part of a US investigation into alleged corruption.